


Puppy Love

by SqueakyNinja



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 16:16:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19429579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SqueakyNinja/pseuds/SqueakyNinja
Summary: Iruka is trying to adjust to a new life after a bad breakup but luck isn't on his side as his new dog seems to have something wrong with him.  Yet, a trip to the vet will soon take him for a wild ride for a good month.





	Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anniemaar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anniemaar/gifts).



> See if you can catch the hidden character cameos!

“Hey, what’s up with Naruto, Iruka?”  
  
The brunet took one look at his female friend and down at his large golden retriever. He scowled as he noticed the dog, despite its tail wagging and tongue hanging out of its mouth, was still holding their right hind leg up a little, resisting to put pressure on it for too long.  
  
“To be honest, he’s been like this for a while now, Anko…” he sighed, heavily.

“So you should take him to the vet!” she suggested.

“With what money?Does it look like I’m living in money on my teacher’s salary?” the young man glared at her and raised his hands, showing off his small apartment.It was just a one bedroom living space. The kitchen area was tiny, just large enough to fit a fridge, stove, and sink. One had to literally squeeze around the small table Iruka placed in there to get around. The living room was larger, but just a tad more. Just one large couch and a decent sized TV. The apartment only held one bathroom, another place with barely any arm room with the toilet, sink, and tub all pushed together tight. At least the bedroom itself was decently sized compared to everything else, just about the size of the living room. Yet, it felt cramped with all the brunet’s storage lining the walls. “I was lucky enough to find a place that would allow Naruto!”

“But you’re not doing him any favors by letting it get worse,” Anko whined.“I can help you pa-“ she started to play with his ponytail but felt her hand being swatted away.

“You already know my stance on favors like that.I hate hand outs,” he stared coldly back at her.  
  
“It’s not a hand out!I know you would help me if I needed it and you could offer!” the purple haired woman argued.

“I know, I know…” the tanned man sighed. Although Iruka did care for all of his friends, he hadn’t had the best luck recently. He was in this crummy apartment after he broke up with his previous partner and had to leave his spacious and cozy living space behind. But bumming it off of some friends’ couches wasn’t an option so for now, he was seeing if he could afford to live on his own. He learned soon after that he could do the latter, just at a high cost. It didn’t help one night he found a large fluff of mess rummaging through the trash cans nearby and decided to take him in.Now, that same fluff was probably going to cost him much more.

Anko frowned as she saw the despondent look on her friend and quickly, her frown turned upside down. “Come on, I know a guy.And his clinic is usually good with those who are down on their luck with money!”  
  
“Uh huh.And I live in a fancy mansion,” Iruka said, dead panned.  
  
“What was that for?!”  
  
“Every time you say ‘I know a guy,’ it ends up terrible for me!” he spat out.  
  
“Name one ti-“  
  
“Mizuki.”  
  
“Ok…” Anko breathed in and rolled her eyes.“Granted, I didn’t know Mizuki to be that big of a jerk to cheat on you…”  
  
“Yeah… No one did…” Iruka sighed and glanced away, wishing to put it all behind him.

“Just trust me this one time, ok?” she pleaded.  


Iruka sighed heavily and looked back at her.“…If I can’t afford it, you’re footing the bill.”  
  
“What?!Iruka!” she whined hard.

* * *

After checking in and checking his dog’s weight, Iruka sat down patiently at the veterinary clinic with Naruto leashed next to him. The waiting room was open with several love seats for customers and their pets. The walls were a sunny burnt yellow all the way around, lined up with several pet food products to sell. Nearby, a television played, advertising special sells on heartworm and other medications the clinic was giving as two receptionists sat behind the front desk next to it, tending to calls and scheduling.

Sitting there by themselves, Iruka’s mind raced with the many possibilities of what could be wrong with his canine.What also came back as a haunting thought was the soon-to-be bill for the visit alone. He could tell this wasn’t exactly a small and humble clinic, much like what Anko had told him. With the brands of pet food they were selling and just sensing the atmosphere in the room, the place seemed more like a private clinic that would charge higher prices. Yet, he had no choice at this point as he continued to lounge there with his clumsy, pitiful excuse for a dog.  
  
“Mr. Umino?” a vet tech, decked out in medical scrubs with several dog head graphics and hair pulled back, came out from the back room and greeted the young man.  
  
“Yes?” he stood up, his leash wrapped around his hand, keeping Naruto close.  
  
“This way.I’ll take you to Room 2,” they smiled and led Iruka around the front desk to a small observation room. The tech closed the door behind all of them as they took one look down at Naruto and grinned.“My!Isn’t he sweet?” they said, patting the dog’s head and earning a tail wag.  
  
“Oh, yeah.He loves people,” Iruka smiled broadly as he looked down at the lovable oaf.

T he tech dug into their pocket and pulled out a small, peanut butter flavored treat.“Will he be all right if I try to take his temperature or will he...”they paused, smiling as Naruto not only took the treat but was licking up a storm. “Can you help me a little?”  
  
Iruka knew what was coming.He held Naruto close and kept his attention away from the tech as he watched them lube up the end of the thermometer, lift up Naruto’s tail, and inserted it rectally with care. Naruto whined for a split second and tensed up but Iruka rubbed his side and back, soothing the dog for a few more seconds as the tech got a reading.

“And we’re done!” the tech said as the thermometer beeped.They pulled the instrument back gently and recorded the data. “Naruto’s temperature is 101.5 which is normal.Thank you very much! I’ll go get Dr. Hatake for you then!” they smiled, before going out the same door.

Iruka sat on the small bench along the wall and examined the small room. There wasn’t much to it.Across from his was a high examination table and in the corner was a countertop with several items littered on top. To top it off, circulating the room were several posters about pet health, warnings about fleas and ticks, vaccinations, and more. The brunet felt a little at ease as it seemed this place did seem to care and wanted owners to be aware of possible dangers owning a pet. Yet, the more he looked around, the more he worried about the price in the back of his mind.

“So this must be Naruto,” a voice called out to him, coming out of the back room. The veterinarian looked at his chart briefly before setting it down and kneeling down to Naruto’s level.  
  
“Oh, yes!Dr… Hatake?” Iruka stared at him, a little awestruck. He noticed instantly his wispy, silver hair all over his head, even covering his dark eyes a little. His pale skin nearly matched his lab coat with the except of a scar running down his left eye. Yet, it didn’t seem to affect his vision.  
  
“I hear he’s been limping?” the doctor asked, scratching Naruto behind the ears.  
  
“Huh?O-Oh!Yes! On his right hind leg,” Iruka said, composing himself.  
  
“How long has this been going on?”  
  
“For… the past two weeks.I’ve been trying to help him keep off of that leg, thinking he will get better but nothing. Sorry. I know I should have taken him in sooner…” he mumbled.  
  
“Mind if we go out in the hallway and do a simple test?” the vet looked up and smiled.

“N-Not at all!” Iruka stammered again, taking slight notice now of the tiny mole just below the doctor’s lip. He watched as Dr. Hatake walked out of the examination room and held the door open for Iruka and his dog. Gathering the leash, the younger man escorted the canine outside and kept him at his side.

“Ok, now that we’re here, do me a favor and just walk to the end of the hall with Naruto and back a couple of times,” the doctor explained.“I’ll just watch you bother.  


Iruka nodded as he looked down at Naruto and tugged on his leash and harness.Naruto followed Iruka at his side down the hall, limping on his right leg all the way down and back up.The vet examined every step he took and every movement he made.He ordered the two to do it again as he knelt before them to look at it from another angle.When the two walked back to him, Dr. Hatake approached Naruto and handled his leg, pushing back some fur to check the skin.

“Well, everything else looked fine besides the glaring problem.It seems like there is some bruising under all that fur,” he pointed out as he stood up and ruffled the dog’s fur before facing Iruka.

“A… bruise?That’s it?”  
  
“Common with dogs who play too rough. Has he been around other dogs?”  
  
“Well, Naruto is a bit of a klutz, himself,” the brunet started to explain while his hands roamed his dog’s chest from behind.“I do take him to the local dog park and he plays with the dogs there.Maybe a bit too rough, like you said.”  
  
“He does look like the kind of dog to get himself in trouble,” the doctor chuckled.  
  
Iruka looked at him, a bit worried.“So, he’s going to be ok?” he murmured, rubbing a scar that ran across his face.  
  
“Well, if you want to spend a lot of money you don’t have, yes,” Dr. Hatake explained, putting his hands in his coat pockets.“Luckily, it’s nothing really. Your dog just seems to be a big baby when it comes to pain. What I recommend is just some relaxation on that hip and just loving care.Most dogs that whimper and act like this just want someone to kiss their boo-boos goodbye and maybe get a treat here and there,” he mentioned as he pulled out a similar treat the tech had moments ago from his coat and gave it to Naruto.  
  
“Really?” Iruka looked at him, surprised. “It’s just that simple?”

“Unless you want me to run a few frivolous tests that will give out negative results but cost you a lot in the end,” the vet pointed out and smirked just as the golden retriever was licking his hand clean from treat crumbs.“But yeah!He’s pretty much a good dog.Clumsy, but good.”

“Thank you, thank you so much!” Iruka expressed his gratitude, hugging the golden retriever from behind.

“I’ll even write you out a small prescription of Carprofen for the pain.Fourteen tablets with one taken with food every twelve hours. I’ll have one of the receptionists help you out front and set up his next check-up,” he smiled.“And no worries. The medication won’t cost you too much.”

“Thank you again!” Iruka beamed, grinning from ear to ear. He reached out to shake the vet’s hand, only slightly grossed out afterwards as he realized he was shaking the same hand Naruto slobbered all over.“S-Sorry…”  
  
“Heh, it’s quite all right,” Dr. Hatake beamed as he walked to the front desk and applied a small helping of hand sanitizer.“I’ll see you soon, Mr. Umino,” he nodded and took his leave.  
  
“Thank you!” Iruka called out once more. Yet, he didn’t get a response back. All he was left with was a prescription for a giant baby of a dog and a dirty hand.

* * *

“And that’s what’s wrong with him!” Iruka explained to Anko at a park bench later that day while she was on a lunch break from work. “He explained that Naruto just got a little hurt playing with some of the other dogs a while back!I need to keep a better eye on him when he plays with that Kiba dog,” he started to think while not paying attention to the growing grin on Anko’s face. “…What?” he turned and saw her sly smile.

  
“…So you saw him?” she asked, biting off the last bit of dango from her skewer.  
  
“The vet?Yeah, I just told you. You were actually right.He was really nice with Naruto.And he’s gonna-“  
  
“No, no, no.Did you see him?The vet?” Anko pointed the used skewer at his nose.  
  
“Huh?I just… Wait, are you implying-“  
  
“I’m pretty sure he’s single…” she chuckled, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand.  
  
“Pretty sure?!” Iruka spat back at her.“Anko, please!I told you before not to get involved with my love life!”  
  
“But Kakashi is different!” she started to explain.  
  
“It doesn’t matter! I can’t believe you were trying to set me up with someone while they’re trying to help my dog!”  
  
“I just care about you, Iruka!And don’t you dare tell me he wasn’t cute…” she pursed her lips.  
  
“Anko…” his anger started to rise further.  
  
“See?!So you think so, too!Even I’ve tried to hit on him and nothing!I don’t recall if he’s actually been with anyone as far as I’ve known him…” she pondered.  
  
“That doesn’t mean anything!He could have someone!”  
  
“Did you see a ring? Or even a tan line?” she pushed him for an answer she obviously knew.  
  
“He’s a vet!It wouldn’t be smart to wear a ring while trying to do work!Besides, he had his hands in his pockets,” he mumbled, rubbing his facial scar again.  
  
“So just ask him out!It wouldn’t hurt!”  
  
“I’m not going to embarrass myself!Besides, you just expect me to waltz right in, ask for Dr. Hatake, and then ask him in front of everyone if he wants to go out with me?!”  
  
“Yes,” Anko said, bluntly.  
  
“Just, leave me be for now, Anko.Don’t you have to get back to the café?” he asked.  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” she stood up.“I mean, it’s a better idea than coming up with different excuses as to why you would need to go back and see him,” she said before leaving.  
  
Iruka stood up and slowly walked with Naruto back to his apartment. He kept to himself the walk back, muddling about his vet visit that day. The idea ran through Iruka’s mind.Yes, the doctor was quite the attractive man.Even now, Iruka could recall just seeing his working hands and what he could under his white coat.His vague eyes that would always seem to look straight at him. His attractive smile accompanied by his sultry voice and his crooked smirk.The slight five o’clock shadow on his chin with his lightly rose-tinted lips.  
  
He lightly slapped his cheeks, bringing him back to reality and trying to calm himself down just as he reached his front door. “No, there is no way.A guy like that with someone like me?Nope!Nada.Never!” he told himself as he unlocked the door and allowed Naruto inside.  
  
He sighed as he made the short trip to the kitchen and set his bag down at the table.He looked down at Naruto, seeing the dog was eager for his dinner. He smiled as he walked to the pantry and took out a large can of dog food.He stooped down and took Naruto’s bowl and placed it by his things back in the kitchen.Hiding it from his dog, he reached in his bag and got his medication. Opening a can and dumping a single pill in the bowl, he mixed it with the brown mush Naruto called food.“Here you go,” he chuckled slyly, setting the full dog bowl down and letting the golden retriever have at it, munching and lapping up everything in the bowl, including his secret treat.“Good boy,” he patted his head before leaving to go take a shower.  
  
After letting the water run to warm up, sliding out of his shirt and pants, and let his hair fall down to his shoulders, Iruka stepped inside his small tub and let the hot water soothe his skin.He let out a heavy sigh and just stood there, letting the water run down his body.He leaned forward with his hand pressed against the shower tile wall and peered down, seeing the water drip from his ragged brown hair. Yet, even a nice shower couldn’t deter Iruka’s thoughts as he continued to think about the doctor.  
  
He leaned back and closed his eyes as the water sprayed his chest.His back fell against a chiseled chest as strong, calloused hands from behind roam down. The vet’s voice whispered in his ear, right behind him. The brunet licked and bit his lower lip as a quivering moan escaped his lips. The extra set of hands start to pleasure him, stroking him. Iruka started to pant, his chest heaving.His eyelids fluttered as he tilted his head back and groaned.He let out a soft cry and grunt and slowly started to come back down to Earth.He slowly opened his eyes and peered down, seeing his messy hand being washed away by the running water.Iruka sighed in disbelief and embarrassment as he started to wash himself alone.  
  
As he did so, Anko’s last words to him continued on repeat in his mind.  


* * *

“I can’t believe I’m doing this, I can’t believe I’m doing this…” Iruka muttered to himself the next morning as he walked down the hall outside his apartment a few doors down and knocked.He waited for a few seconds before the door open, revealing a young, pink-haired woman with stunning sea green eyes.He noticed the familiar face living in the same complex as he did, spotting her a few times while doing laundry downstairs in the apartment complex basement.He would say hi and chat with his former student from time to time, nothing too lengthy, until now.   


“Hello?Oh!Umino-sensei!” his neighbor smiled.“What a surprise!”

“Hi there, Sakura-chan!”  
  
“What are you doing here?” she asked, standing in the doorway, just as a black, American shorthair cat snaked around her ankles.  
  
“Um… I know this might sound a little crazy, but I couldn’t help to overhear your conversation over the phone the other day in the laundry room.You need to take your cat to the vet?” he peered down and made eye contact with the cat.  
  
“Yeah, Sasuke here needs a check up!” she smiled as she scooped him up and nuzzled his cheek with hers.  
  
Iruka looked and saw the black cat seemingly glare at him. “Well, I was here to offer you… a chance to take him in?I know a good place that can take care of him.They’re not that expensive and I know you’re probably busy studying for your MCATs…”  
  
“You would do that for me?” Sakura looked at Iruka, surprised.“Thank you so much!”  
  
“Oh, it’s no big deal!I mean, I can probably take him in today if that won’t be an issue..” he drawled out.  
  
“Not at all!I’m supposed to meet Ino at the library to study some more!Hang tight!I’ll be right back with his carrier!” she gleefully cheered as she ran back inside, leaving the brunet with the cat, still staring the human down with a death glare.

Iruka attempted an inch forward before earning a low growl emanating from the cat.“This… I can do this…”  
  


* * *

  
“Ok, so we have here Sa- Hm?Iruka?What are you doing back so…” the silver-haired vet walked into the examination room, surprised to see Iruka back, this time with a cat carrier top of the examination table with a black cat stubborn and determined to stay inside.  
  
“Oh!Hello, Dr. Hatake… I just… I just thought you should check out my cat, Sasuke, as well!” Iruka explained with a dry laugh.“Sorry, the tech had a tough time trying to get him out.”  
  
“Your cat… I see,” the vet looked inside the carrier.He opened up the cage and instantly saw how agitated the cat was.“Let’s see if this works,” he wondered as he turned around to his countertop and opened a drawer.He turned back around and set down a few bits of cat treats as bait for Sasuke.Slowly, the black feline leaned his nose out and sniffed the table, noticing the treats.Carefully, he stepped out of the carrier and onto the table before getting a better look at said treats.His tail swung back and forth low as he examined the food and took a quick nibble.His tail raised up in the air as he took another treat in his mouth.  
  
“T-That’s amazing!” Iruka looked on, shocked.  
  
“You just have to know cats,” he smirked.“I’ll do this one favor for my tech,” he snickered as he hoisted Sasuke up and went in the back.  


_‘Oh God, why am I doing this?!He’s going to find out!’_ Iruka mentally freaked alone in the small room. _‘Why would I have a cat and a dog together?!Plus, this cat obviously hates me!He wouldn’t hate me if I was his real owner!This was a stupid plan!I don’t know why I let Anko give me this damn idea in the first place!I have to come clean!I have to tell him once he comes back in!This isn’t my cat!I’m more of a dog person!But once he finds out, he’s probably going to have me banned from this place for deception!Why did I go through with this?!Why-’  
_   
“There we go,” Dr. Hatake came back with Sasuke in his arms. He set the cat down on the table before it glared back up at Iruka and casually walked back to its carrier.“He’s doing fine.Good vision, ears are clean, and temperature is normal.”  
  
“Thank you very much,” Iruka smiled.  
  
“Kakashi.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“You can address me as Kakashi,” the vet pointed out.  
  
“Oh!Um, thank you… Kakashi,” Iruka peered down, trying to hide a slight blush.  
  
“Your bill will be given to you by one of my receptionists,” he winked before returning to the back of the clinic.  
  
Iruka nodded and quickly slinked his way out of the room with Sasuke in the carrier and to the front. _‘It… It worked…’_ he thought before walking over to the front desk and having his eyes nearly pop out of his head from the vet bill.  


* * *

For the next few weeks, Iruka started to bring over various animals for Kakashi to examine, mostly with the excuse for check-ups.Anko quickly found out as she came by and saw her friend with Sasuke.Deciding for herself to help out, she dropped on him her pet Burmese python, Orochimaru, to take over there, despite every attempt the long snake made wrapping itself around the young man’s arm and neck.The woman even asked one of her other friends to have Iruka take in his red-footed tortoise, Ningame, even though he was quite of a grump to lug around compared to his owner.Another sultry friend offered her tiny hedgehog, Shino, a tiny fellow constantly searching for insects to munch on.

A co-worker overheard one of Iruka’s phone call with Anko just once in the teacher’s lounge and asked if he could bring his black palm cockatoo, Aoba, to check on the bird’s molting. Iruka, being the kind of helpful person he was, couldn’t say no, especially since it meant an extra trip to see Kakashi.Yet, even his boss, the principal of the school, found out and thought he was helping everyone out and loaned him her miniature pig, Tonton, for a quick visit.

After dealing with the array of exotic animals from Anko and his co-workers, the brunet ran into Sakura once more who asked him if he could take one of her classmate’s pets as well.Unable to say no again, he agreed.At least his turned out to be a sweet but shy dwarf hotot rabbit named Hinata so there wasn’t a problem there.With finals around the corner, Sakura offered Iruka’s services to everyone, including Ino with her pet rat, Sai, and Ino’s lazy friend’s pet guinea pig, Chouji. After that visit came another woman’s fierce sable ferret, Katamari, who insisting on biting Iruka’s fingers whenever possible and her brother’s pet salamander, Sanshouuo.  
  
Soon, Iruka found himself bringing at least twelve different pets to see Kakashi, all within the span of a month.In the back of his mind, the teacher continued to think bringing several animals to see the vet was a terrible idea.An idiotic idea.Yet, every time he made eye contact with those dark, half-lidded eyes of his, the brunet’s heart fluttered and pounded.His mouth ran dry and he would always unconsciously rub the same scar on his face as he would mumble out a few words.He was crushing.Hard.

Eventually, though, everything had to come to an end. Iruka had run out of excuses to see Kakashi.There were no more friends with pets.No more friends of friends with pets.Even Naruto’s next appointment wasn’t for a couple more weeks.He couldn’t just bring himself to go to the clinic just to see the vet.Even he noticed the more times he would go and visit, the less he would interact with Kakashi and just be given a bill. Just as if he had no time for his silly shenanigans.Or him in general.Anko did offer him Kakashi’s number to call and address to visit him at his home but Iruka had enough.His pitiful attempts had no effect.Kakashi wasn’t interested in him.At all.

* * *

“Come on!Just enjoy yourself!” Anko shouted over the beating music at her condo, grabbing onto Iruka’s shoulder and handed him a red solo cup, filled with rum and coke.“I invited you to my birthday party for a reason!”  
  
“I am!I am!” he insisted, looking around.Several of her friends were socializing with one another, talking, laughing, and drinking. A couple of them he recalled as the friends with pets he took care of.Iruka, meanwhile, was just keeping to himself and now, with his drink. To him, it seemed like everyone else had someone or had their own group to converse with.Not him.At a party filled to the brim with guests, he felt like a social outcast.  
  
“Doesn’t look like it to me, Mr. Pouty Face!” she puckered her lips toward him, earning her a gently shove.  
  
“Knock it off,” he laughed it off.“Really, I’m fine.In fact, I think I’m going to get some air on your balcony, ok?”  
  
“Fine!” she scoffed before latching onto another friend’s back and asking if they wanted to do Jell-O shots she made.

Iruka sighed heavily as he opened the sliding door to the balcony and closed it behind him.He looked up at the starry, night sky, questioning and wondering why he even decided to come over.  
  
“Hi there, Iruka,” a familiar voice called out to him from behind, opening the closing the door behind him as well.“I thought that was you.”  
  
“Hm?” the brunet’s attention was caught as he spun around and locked eyes with the familiar face.This time, not in a long lab coat but sporting a tight skin, black tee and skinny, dark blue jeans. “Oh!I didn’t know you would be here… Dr. Hatake…”  
  
“We went over this… Kakashi,” he sighed, walking over and leaned against the guardrail.  
  
“Right… Kakashi…” he murmured.  
  
“I’m glad I came. With the way Anko talks about you, I figured you would be here,” he looked over at the other man.  
  
“Anko told you about me?” the brunet looked up at him, surprised.“Like what?”  
  
“Like how you’re a teacher at the local high school.That’s a good profession.Very noble,” he pointed to him and winked.  
  
“It’s nothing compared to a veterinarian…” Iruka turned away.  
  
“True, we both help little hellions. Just mine are of a different species,” Kakashi cracked a joke.  
  
Iruka chuckled a little as he stared down at his drink, swirling it around. “I wouldn’t call them that.Yeah, some kids are a pain but I don’t mind it.I love to teach and connect with the younger generation and inspire them.Heck, I still manage to talk to my former students now. Just I wish it could bring me more money.”  
  
“Are you happy?”  
  
“Excuse me?” Iruka looked back up at him.  
  
“Are you happy?” he asked again.“Like are you happy now or will you be happy if you just had more money?”  
  
“Of course I would be! I wouldn’t be living in my tiny apartment and could move into something bigger for myself and Naruto!Then I wouldn’t have to worry about expenses.”  
  
“Heh, I knew it,” Kakashi let out a small laugh.  
  
“What?”  
  
“You just said you live in a small apartment and only mentioned your dog.”

“And?”

“You didn’t mention your other eleven pets.Plus, I doubt a landlord would allow that many animals,” he pointed out before taking a swig of his gin and tonic.  
  
Iruka was left stunned and in shock.But mostly embarrassed.“W-Wait!You knew?!All this time?!” Iruka demanded and Kakashi responded with a simple nod.“Then why look at them?!”  
  
“Well, two reasons.One, I love animals myself.I even house eight rescue dogs back home,” he pulled out his phone and stared down at the illuminated screen.  
  
“Eight… dogs?” he looked at the vet, flabbergasted, as he glanced down at a photo of all eight of them.Each varying in size and breed.Surrounding a smiling Kakashi.  
  
“Yep.Had them for a few years now.They get along together great and love people, especially that one,” he mentioned, pointing to the large, dark mastiff in the back.“Name’s Bull.”  
  
“And the other reason?” Iruka perked his head up.  
  
“Two… it was nice seeing you around so often,” Kakashi looked back at him, putting his phone back in his pocket.  
  
The younger man felt his heart skip a beat.“W-Well, I was… I was just more so doing favors for some friends!” he fiddled with his facial scar.  
  
“Eleven other friends?” the older man cocked his head.  
  
“I’m very helpful, thank you very much!” he huffed.  
  
“Heh, really now.Especially since I’m just your run of the mill vet and not one that specializes in exotic animals?”  
  
“What do you mean?You’re a vet.Your job is to take care of animals,” the teacher pointed out.  
  
“I can only do so much with what I know.To be honest, with most of the animals you brought in for me to see, my tech just brought them to the back and we stood there for a few minutes with them before I came back in to talk to you.Heck, I already knew about Sasuke before you brought him in.I always have to give him these special tomato-flavored treats to coax him out of his carrier!”  
  
“So that’s how…” Iruka trailed off.  
  
“I mean, with the way you were acting each time, one could say you were taking all those animals to keep seeing me,” Kakashi glanced over, seeing a blush creep across the teacher’s face.  
  
“What?!No!No!It wasn’t that!I mean, why would I?!You’re probably married already!” Iruka extended and flailed his hands forward, truly embarrassed.  
  
“More like married to the profession.”  
  
“So, you’re not dating anyone?”  
  
“Nope!I’m single.Why do you ask?” he looked at Iruka out of the corner of his eye.  
  
“N-N-No reason what so ever!Just making small talk!” the brunet turned his head away.  
  
“Anko tells me you’re single, too,” Kakashi spun his drink around in his cup before guzzling it all down.  
  
“I… just got out of a bad relationship a couple of months ago, honestly…” Iruka confessed.“It was a pretty bad break-up…”  
  
“I see.So you wouldn’t be interested in going to a coffee shop and talk some more, eh?”  


“A coffee shop?Why?”  
  
“I prefer not going to the café where Anko works so she’s not spying on us.If you don’t like coffee, we could take a walk around the dog park.I can introduce you to my other dogs.Like I said, they’re really friendly and I bet they’ll love Naruto and you.Although I might have to restrain Bull.He doesn’t know his own size when it comes to greeting new people…” he trailed off, placing the empty cup on the balcony floor.  
  
“Wait, are you asking me out on a da-“  
  
“And if I was?” he smirked, cutting Iruka off.  
  
Iruka was left speechless for a moment.He stared at Kakashi, dumbfounded and quickly tried to find the right words to say. But nothing came out of his mouth. Instead, it was left agape.The vet took advantage of the teacher’s stunned expression as he leaned over, cocked his head, and gently pressed his lips up against the others. He stood still, letting the kiss linger for a few seconds before slowly pulling just slightly back.  


Kakashi’s eyes met with Iruka’s.Not one word was spoken between the two men, yet, both shut their eyes as they leaned back in and closed the gap between them.Their lips moved together against the others, sensually and stimulating.Iruka opened his mouth with a sharp gasp as he felt a hand sliver up against his side and finger sneak under his shirt.Kakashi took the opportunity and snuck his tongue in the brunet’s mouth and slid it along the other’s tongue, earning him a moan. The teacher’s hands roamed up, nails digging a little into the vet’s shirt as he deepened the kiss, enjoying every second of it.  


The two men took a slight step back from one another when the time was right and smiled.Nothing had to be said.The kiss was more than enough.

“I just… have one question…” Iruka panted.  
  
“Heh, yes?” Kakashi laughed, leaning his forehead against the other’s, keeping him in a tight embrace.  
  
“Since you knew those weren’t my pets… Am I still on the hook for their bills?”

**Author's Note:**

> Really enjoyed this prompt! I had thought about the omegaverse one since I love that theme but then chose this because, funny enough... my beta reader is a vet tech! So that's why there are some actual realistic tidbits here and there about what would happen and what a vet would prescribe, etc. I hope you enjoy!


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